As Vidya Balan completes 20 years in the film industry this August, the actor looked back at a defining moment in her career—playing Amitabh Bachchan’s mother in Paa. In a recent interview with Filmfare, Vidya revealed how she was repeatedly warned against accepting the role, but chose to follow her instincts instead.

“When R Balki first told me he wanted Abhishek and me to play Mr. Bachchan’s parents, I thought he’d lost it,” Vidya laughed, recalling her initial reaction. “It sounded absurd. But once I heard the script, something shifted. I kept thinking about it, and the actor in me said, ‘Do it.’ I was scared, though.”

Vidya shared that many people advised her against taking up the role, fearing it would “end” her career. “Everyone warned me—‘Don’t play an older woman.’ But I got a writer friend and an ad filmmaker friend to read the script. They both said, ‘You must do this.’ That’s when I stopped listening to the noise and started listening to myself,” she added.

Released in 2009, Paa was directed by R Balki and starred Amitabh Bachchan as Auro, a 12-year-old boy suffering from progeria. Abhishek Bachchan played Auro’s father, while Vidya portrayed his mother. The film was both a critical and commercial success and won several national awards—including Best Actor (Amitabh Bachchan) and Best Hindi Feature Film.

Vidya noted that she had done films before Paa that were successful but didn’t fulfill her creatively. “I never wanted to feel that disconnect again,” she said.

Most recently, Vidya appeared in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 alongside Kartik Aaryan, Triptii Dimri, and Madhuri Dixit. The film turned out to be a massive hit, grossing ₹389 crore worldwide. As she awaits her next film announcement, her debut movie Parineeta is set to be re-released in select theatres across India starting August 29.